Author's Note: Exactly what the summary says. I'll try to post a drabble a day for the whole month of February but knowing my penchant for writer's block, that might be me being really optimistic. But hey, hope runs the world, right? :D
"Genia Loretta Callahan. A mouthful of a name for a mouthful of a girl. Since she was born, she was brash…erratic even. One second a whirlwind and in two seconds, a tornado. A rascal with perpetually scraped knees and a smile too big for her thin, freckled face, she was…"
No, no, NO! Jo scratched out the whole paragraph before finally crumpling up the paper and throwing it behind her chair before slumping down in a defeated sigh. This lively little Genia Loretta, dancing in her imagination with imp like grace and mischief refused to be written down as told! It was ridiculous how much control characters of her OWN creation had over her! If only they would behave! She could just SEE Genia Loretta dancing in a field with wild abandon, with only the wind whistling a jovial tune in her ears. The mental image brought a slight smile to Jo's mouth. The little scamp reminded her quite a bit about another girl she once knew very well, one who refused to be anything BUT obstinate and carefree…
Ten Years Ago
'Race you to the fence Laurie, try and keep up this time, will you?' the girl yelling the words over the wind this time was considerably older than Genia Loretta, though she still had the smile too big for her face and the same flyaway hair.
'How on earth do you expect me to keep up with a colt?' a puffing Laurie sniped as he trudged up the hill.
Why, oh why did his masculine ego allow him to compete in a race against Jo?
A great big laugh came from high above him and he could see the smile that made his heart skip a beat mirthing over and egging him onwards. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, and a determined glint coming to his dark eyes, Laurie suddenly took off on a gallop. By that time, Jo had turned her back to him and was more skipping towards the house.
She had this race in the bag! That poor young Laurence, what woe to be him right now!
All of a sudden she is tumbling backwards as a large pair of hands with surprisingly dainty fingers yank her towards the ground. And then she's lying on the grass, looking up into the shining dark eyes of the one and only Laurie Laurence, her smile wiped clean off as he heaves deep breaths.
'What do you have to say for yourself now, Miss March? I am going to lose, am I?'
Now he's the one laughing his heart out and rather than increasing Jo's ire by the second, as she would have expected, the delightful chortles just increases her desire to make certain that the shadow of darkness that often crosses his handsome features, never, ever make a reappearance.
He is her Laurie after all, and if perpetually scraped elbows and knees are what it takes to keep her boy from ever having to face that darkness, well, it was a small price to pay.